Ah Star Wars 1313, our new hope in Star Wars gaming. This was a must-see panel for me personally and while we really didn't get a lot of new details, the visuals were what made the panel great. The majority of the panel, hosted by David Collins and featuring director Dominic Robilliard and producer Peter Nicholi, focused on the collaboration between LucasArts, Lucasfilm, ILM, and Skywalker Sound. As to be expected with such a fresh new working relationship there were learning curves all around. Everyone involved has been very receptive and supportive of each other especially as they all learn to work with each other's tools outside of their comfort zones. Per David Collins, that's the "sign of true artists."

But let's talk a little about the game itself. To kick off the panel, we got another peak at the recently released gameplay trailer which looked rather lovely on the big screen. Make no mistake about it, the game is still very early in development and the characters in the trailers are placeholders for the time being. As noted by Robbilliard, this will most certainly be a "mature-themed experience" in which the player is always in control when it matters the most. Cut scenes blend with gameplay footage almost seamlessly which is the result of them all being created together. Previously cut scenes would have been handed off, so this is one of the major benefits of the new LFL family collaboration.

We saw two documentary videos regarding the making of the game. The first of which detailed the grand collaboration that's helping to produce the game while the other focused on the environment and displayed a lot of concept art. Here's the second of the two videos courtesy of GameSpot.

From there we got to the highlight of the panel when Dominic provided us with our first view of him actually playing some of the first level. The environment and scene were familiar from the trailers as you start your descent down to level 1313. As you and your partner descend in your ship, a nefarious other ship starts to follow you down. From there a droid rappels down to your ship followed by some human commandos to steal some cargo. Chaos ensues! We saw third person shooting, a little melee action, a wonderful use of an escape pod, your character jumping to various hand grips on a falling spaceship, and more. Everything looked fantastic from the characters to the environment. Just fantastic!

Robilliard actually played the level twice so we could see him pull off some different moves and the second viewing was as exciting as the first. What was particularly cool was when the game was paused, Dominic could do a 360 degree zoom in on the action. The detail was visually stunning. (Yes, I'm officially gushing)

Some other things of note...

- The game is set between Episodes III and IV.- Level 1313 refers to the distance from the center of the planet. For a time it was the surface before being built over.- When asked if any familiar characters are in the game, Dominic and Nicholi didn't want to say quite yet. The game is still so early in development that they want to save some of the reveals as the development progresses.- As for controls, one joystick controls your movement while the other controls the camera angle.- There's definitely a bit of adult language in the game.

We'll be sure to keep you posted as Star Wars 1313 progresses as, let's face it, we're excited for it. In the meantime, StarWars1313.com is now online as is the game's official Facebook page. Make sure to "like" it!